Things I've Learned

Do not adjust your computer screen...This is my second post in one day. I know. I'm outta control!

So. What's the reason for the two-post Wednesday? Well, I'll tell you. Alot of my friends are having babies. And when I say alot, I mean alot. Seriously. I feel like I should have a parking spot reserved for me at Target because that's where I spend most of my days, not to mention my money. Y'all, they've got some seriously cute baby things. I'm talking stuff they didn't even have when I was pregnant! It really is so unfair.

All this baby gift buying and dinner taking got me thinking about the things I've learned since becoming Austin's mommy. I can honestly say that some of my best and worst moments have occurred in the last 2 years. And yes, I did just say worst. Let's be honest with ourselves, people. Being a mom isn't always puppies and kittens running around. There are some dark, never speak of again moments. Luckily, the good far outweighs the bad or else we'd be down to the last couple of people here on earth!

Without further ado, here is my list.

• If I'm running late, I can GUARANTEE that Austin will have a dirty diaper right before we walk out the door. He will also have on pants with shoes AND I will be hard pressed to find changing supplies anywhere! Those are truly the times that try a woman's soul!!


• Never, I repeat NEVER, go anywhere without a snack and some juice. Sometimes it's the only trick left in the bag when you've got a cranky child in the backseat. Not to mention, that sanity is not something to be messed with!


• I have no rhythm whatsoever, but when I'm dancing with Austin, even Beyonce would be jealous of my moves. That's right. Just like when I was pregnant...he makes me look good! :)


• Yoga pants are every mom's best friend. HOWEVER, this girl cleans up good and nothing is more satisfying than dressing up for a night on the town with my man!


• With that said, you can be a mom and still look good while you're at it. I cannot tell you how many times I've consoled myself by saying,

I may have spit-up on my shirt but it's the cutest shirt I own so I'm gonna work the shirt AND the spit-up.

• I will totally be doing this when Austin is a little older. I especially love the "it's like fear factor" comment on the video. Classic and so true when you're that age. But I'd like to offer a little prayer in advance regarding this genius idea.

Dear Jesus,

Please don't let Austin choose Chuck E. Cheese when he fills his card. I claim a Ruth's Chris request, in Jesus name!

• I LOVE that there is nothing like a mother's smell. It's one of the few ways you can feel set apart when they're newborns and draining all of your energy. Keeping that in mind, I've chosen my perfume carefully since day 1 with Austin. I don't want him associating me with some old lady smell! ;) There will be plenty of time for that.


• I have never appreciated my parents more.


• I have never loved the sound of silence more.


• I have never loved cartoons like Wonder Pets, The Backyardigans, and Blue's Clues more.


• I have never loved Luke more.


• I have never loved Jesus more.

I'm sure there's more but that just about covers the important lessons so far. Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's also the most fun and the most rewarding thing I've done hands down! Also, there is no one else I'd rather walk this parenting journey with than Luke. What an amazing dad God has blessed Austin with! And now, I give you the littlest boss Luke and I have ever had the privilege of working with...

Today, I love my job!!

Get Down, Girl. Go Ahead, Get Down

As I stated before, last weekend was my Granny's 85th birthday celebration. And celebrate we did, but no one celebrated more than her! The festivities began at 12:30 otherwise known as you-know-who's naptime. Here's how thrilled he was that we put him in his carseat while he was cranky...

I'm sure it's no surprise that once we were among family, he was in rare form and ready to party! But this post is not about my son. It's about my Granny. And speaking of, here's the birthday girl with some of her fan club.

This was taken right before MY favorite part of any party...cake time! And her cake was deeeelish! Little did we know that she had a surprise of her own for all of us.

This is my Granny telling my Grandpa to "go get that card." What comes next is quite possibly my favorite moment of 2009 so far.

Here's the card. To our delight, it was a sound card that played the chicken dance song. So to sum things up, my Granny celebrated her 85th birthday by channeling her inner Beyonce. And may I just say that even Beyonce wouldn't be able to keep up with my Granny's moves!

Here she is again, showing Austin how to bring sexy back! I bet you had NO idea that my Granny's birthday would be a dance party. Neither did we. However, we are so glad it was because boy did we have fun watching those two get down with their bad selves!

Here's Austin hanging with his Aunt Bs. That's right. To him, they are both known as "B." And even though this post is not about the little man, I do have to say one thing. Austin busted out some moves at this party that I have NEVER seen before. Clearly, he is fond of entertaining some ladies with a few smooth moves.

Luke and I had a blast with my family. In fact, we had so much fun that we came home, put Austin down for a nap, and crawled into bed ourselves.

Happy Birthday, Granny! We loved celebrating it with you!!

Lavish

I think I've mentioned before that I like to blogstalk. Not in a creepy way. I just like to get different ideas for recipes, fun things to do with Austin, or have a good laugh. One of the blogs I visit on occasion is written by a pastor's wife in Nashville. (I found this blog through one of my favorites...Bring the Rain) She recently wrote an entry about using the word "lavish" as an action verb. I would encourage you to read the entire entry, but here's an excerpt just to give you an idea of how inspiring it was.

I mentioned last week I was reading this book and how beneficial it has been to me. One of the key points that has stuck with me daily is an illustration Barnhill shared in chapter 6. The illustration all centers around a cake Barnhill’s grandmother used to make when she was a child. What made the cake so special was the way her grandmother “lavishes” the cake with homemade cream cheese icing. Here is her comparison…

Grandma baked and served with lavish abandon. She did so for the enjoyment of those she was serving. And you know what, moms? Jesus Christ wants to lavish Himself upon our lives in the same way. He won’t apply “just enough” to get us by. Instead, He will heap-He will inundate our lives with the riches of His grace and pile upon our hearts mercy so plentiful that it overflows and pools.

Let’s lavish our children with hugs, kisses, and words of praise! Let’s lavish our laughter and smile upon the children God has placed in our lives. And let’s lavish our grace toward one another as mothers, laying aside tired arguments that divide us and concentrating on that which unites us all… our love for our children and our relationship with them.

The book she is talking about is called She's Gonna Blow by Julie Ann Barnhill. I'm pretty sure I've heard Luke mutter that under his breath a time or 2, but that's beside the point.

I LOVE this concept. More than anything I want to be a mom that lavishes love and encouragement on my children! The world is cruel and quick to criticize, but my children will know that I love everything about them.

I would also like to take this one step further and say that I want to be a wife that lavishes love and encouragement on her husband too. My prayer is that at the end of the day Luke, Austin, and Little Person #2 will view our home as a haven as well as a place where lots of love and laughter are present.

I am so blessed to say that Luke and I both come from families that lavished us with love, laughter, and amazing memories. To this day, spending time with our families is something we look forward to with great anticipation. It's a legacy that I hope to continue in our own little family, because no one (Jesus aside) brings me greater joy than my family!

Thank You, Father, that You have lavished us with Your grace and mercy so that we can lavish others with Your love!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are...

1 John 3:1

A Fabulous Friday

There's a lot going on at the Keiffer house. First of all, we replaced our NASTY old carpet. And boy does it smell better in here already. In fact, I'm feeling slightly high on the new carpet smell.

And speaking of high, Austin got tubes put in his ears today. My sisters and I like to say that he's goin' tubin. But anyway. We took him to the hospital at our very favorite hour of 6:30. Remember the time that I said no one should know existed? Well, it existed for me today. Hello, 5:00. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you with every fiber of my being.

The good news is that I had clean hair and fresh make-up for our hospital visit. Which was good. You know, just in case someone wanted to take our picture with the cutest little boy EVER! Everyone was so nice and made sure we knew exactly what was going to happen. Austin got to wear this fabulous little purple gown. Work. It. Austin. No one is safe from the lovely hospital gowns that tie in the back. Right before they took him back, they gave him the equivilent of a baby margarita. He was riding high, my friends. Riding high. They also let him play with the anesthesia mask and he was quick to put it on his lamby's face. In the words of Britt,

You're goin' down with me lamby!

Apparently where we go one, we go all! He did so great, which was a huge relief to me. In fact, we were home by 9:00, and even though he's walking like a drunk, Austin is in a great mood.

In other news, we said goodbye to Grammy this morning. Well actually, last night because no one should have to get up at 5:00 if they don't have to! It was so great to have her here and I know Austin will miss his Grammy ALOT! While she was visiting, Austin got to try some butterscotch pudding with whip cream. He. Was. A. Fan!

Mmmmm. So good mommy!

I love it. I love it. I love it!

Also, Austin has developed a fascination with stickers. Or more accurately, anything with adhesive on the back. Here's proof:

What's that, mom? You want to know what's on the front of my overalls?

Oh, just this little "security device enclosed" sticker.

Lookin' good, little man. Lookin' good.

This weekend is my Granny's birthday bash and I'm really looking forward to celebrating with some of our family. We always have a great time together. Not to mention the amazing food that's served. I hope you guys have some fun things planned for this weekend too.

Have a great Friday!!

A Bunch of Randomness

Happy Tuesday from Austin...

(How hilarious is this picture?!)

...and Savannah!

Doesn't she look just thrilled to be having her picture taken?! Don't be deceived. She's actually quite fond of being captured on film. I could explain, but I'll just show you instead. Because, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words and there's a whole lotta picture goin' on below. I'll let you see for yourself!

HA! You had NO idea these would also be pregnant pictures, did you?! Double your viewing pleasure and double the fun.

You're welcome.

But anyway.

There in the corner is our Savannah. She just happend to jump in at the last moment. Don't you LOVE her smile? She was pumped about a little brother! Probably because she had no idea that a year later he would be RIDING HER LIKE A PONY!

Oh and here she is again! Surprise. Surprise. And yes, I DID teach her the head tilt technique while posing for pictures. I have to say, she's a quick learner.

Finally, here she is again. Notice her smile. Also. Notice my hair and try not to be jealous. If you're thinking that I look a little tired that's because I WAS!! Forgive me for stating the VERY obvious, but that's a 7 pound baby in there. And while I would love to say that this look disappeared quickly after Austin's birth, I would be lying. I still look tired and a little disheveled most of the time. But make no mistake. I am LOVING life... 24/7!

So you see, Savannah loves to get a piece of the picture taking action around here. And since she really is a pretty dog, we oblige. :)

Now. Did everyone have a happy valentines day? I sure did, and I would be happy to tell you about it. Thank you for asking! Sadly, Luke had to work most of the day. Bummer. But Austin and I made the most of it by going to breakfast with the parents and Claire.

While we waited for the rest of our party to get to IHOP, I took the opportunity to ask little A some deep, theological questions.

Me: Austin, do you love mommy?

Austin: (shakes his head vigourously) NO!

Me: Do you love Gigi?

Austin: (moves head up and down) Mmm. Hmm.

Me: Do you love Papa B?

Austin: (moves head up and down AGAIN!) Mmm. Hmm.

Such a precious, tender time.

This, of course, made my parents' day! To which I said... Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy Mother's Day and Father's Day. For the rest of your lives.

Just kidding. I am well aware that I am very loved by my son no matter what his favorite word of the day happens to be!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful despite the fact that Austin did not want to take a nap and would only sleep if I held him. No problem. I grabbed at the chance to catch up on some quality television like The City. After he woke up, I decided to get him ready to go to my parents' house. This was going well until Old Faithful errupted! Yes, you heard right. My son peed on me for the first time since he was born!! I was pretty tired at this point since I'd been in charge of the little man most of the week due to some really long hours Luke had worked. I promply picked up the phone and asked my parents if now would be a good time to come pick him up. Good thing their answer was yes because I was well on my way to a minor meltdown. Not to mention a small pity party about spending most of Valentines Day by myself. But don't cry for me, internet friends. I just needed a little perspective, which is exactly what I got once I had the house to myself for an hour.

Luke and I had a lovely talk when he got home. And by lovely, I really do mean lovely. There's nothing like reconnecting after a long, intense week. We decided to forego the massive V-Day crowds and eat a quiet meal at home. Luke cooked for us...

Are you ready to hear what was served that night? Jalepeno sausage in macaroni and cheese. It was SO good. My Luke can cook us a meal! We were both exhausted so we ate dinner in bed and watched one of our favorite shows...NCIS. Are we getting old or what?! The next day we had lunch at a great Italian restaurant and picked up my gift. (Luke will be getting hubcaps from me. Romantic, I know.) It was so great to spend some quality time with my favorite! Oh and one of the best parts of the evening? Savannah had clean up duty...

The End.

Just Some Random News For You On This Thursday

Hello, friends! I hope you all are having an excellent Thursday. I finally feel like things are returning to normal around here. Yesterday I got a ton of laundry done and even cleaned the kitchen. But the BEST part of the day was that Austin took a good nap. He even fell asleep while I read him a book and didn't cry one bit when I put him in his crib. HALLELUJAH! Welcome back, naptime. We missed you!

In other news, I read about this amazing little gadget that helps you figure out a pattern in your newborn's life. I know. I'm way ahead of myself, but in case you couldn't tell, I'm a planner. Sometimes I think it's a sickness. So don't judge. Still, since I didn't get to really plan ahead for Austin, I'm looking forward to enjoying that aspect for the next one. I want to savor every moment since Luke is adamant about only having 2 little people in our family.

Remember when I said that trying to get Austin's picture was like trying to nail jello to a tree? Well, here's even more proof. On Tuesday afternoon I decided to put on a little outfit that Britt had given him since it was a warm day. I wanted to get a picture to send to her since I'm not sure he'll be able to wear it much due to some thunder thighs he's got goin' on. Here's a little glimpse into how that went:

Austin, turn around so I can take your picture.

No really. I was serious. Come back here and turn around.

Attempt #1. And while we're talking about this hilarious picture let me share with you what I love about it.

1) There's never a bad time to brush your teeth

2) It looks like he inherited my Granny's eyes closed approach when having his picture taken.

Attempt #2. This one will have to do. Mid stride is better than nothing!

Finally, I had to get a picture of a totally rockin' pair of new plaid shorts. (Wow. That's a lot of descriptive words for the shorts. I hope they live up to such high expectations!) We decided to call them the "Jon shorts" since my brother-in-law can pull off a pair of plaid shorts like nobody's business! I hope Austin can make his uncle proud when he wears them this summer. Without further ado, here they are in all their plaid glory!

Ok, I gotta go. The parental unit is coming over for lunch today. I also have some crafty stuff to do this afternoon PLUS an abundance of phone calls to make. Y'all have a lovely day.

It's Been A No Nap Kind Of Day

It's been a big day here at the Keiffer house. Our morning started at the bright and early hour of 6:00. It was such a tender time since Austin decided to have the meltdown of the CENTURY. That should have been my first clue that this was not going to be the best day of our lives. He wanted nothing to do with Luke and even the morning news didn't calm him down. Ok, so that was a little bit of an unrealistic expectation, but I figured that if Austin was already upset why not just depress ourselves some more. Finally, Blue's Clues did the trick and he was able to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

We headed off to the doctor so he could re-check Austin's ears. And this is where I confess a deep, dark secret.

Hi. My name is Aimee and I have road rage.

Yes, it's true. There's just something about driving impaired people that tries my patience. And I fail every time. I cannot count the number of times someone has pulled out in front of me when there are absolutely NO cars behind me, etcetera and so forth and so on. But that's neither here nor there and certainly not the reason for this post. I just had to get that off my chest.

Anyway, I had high hopes for this visit. Sadly, those hopes were dashed by the very long pause from Dr. P after examining Austin's ears. Turns out that his right ear is re-infected and we will be visiting an ENT to discuss the possibility of tubes, which is every mother's dream I'm sure. I am definitely not opposed to putting tubes in his ears since I've heard that it makes a big difference. I just wish that it wasn't something we have to consider. It is what it is, I guess.

The highlight of our day, though, was having lunch with one of my favorite people. Austin and I met Luke for some hamburgers, and it was just what I needed. And no, we did not eat Freddy's. Feel free to be impressed. It was a great lunch despite the fact that Luke had a plethora of disappointing news. First of all, his time off request for a good friend's wedding was denied. To be fair, it was rejected (such a harsh word, but I just call 'em like I see 'em) due to the fact that the AT&T strike may still be in progress. This means that Luke may be filling in for a union worker and will not be able to leave town. I certainly hope that this will not be an issue and we will be able to celebrate Matt and Jessica with our Tulsa friends.

THEN Luke broke the news to me that his bonus will not be everything we had hoped and more. Let's face it, the economy is not so stellar these days, which is why we have decided to stay in San Antonio and celebrate each other as well as the blessings that God has already given us here. We are disappointed that we won't be able to celebrate five years like we planned, but we are also thankful beyond words for a great income, a nice house, and the ability to pay all of our bills without fail. God is good and above all faithful. I have no doubt that we will take the vacation of our dreams at a later date. It's no secret that I don't need a reason to celebrate!

And speaking of vacations, it would appear that "naptime" decided to take a leave of absence today. I just love it when Austin and I have different agendas and can't seem to get on the same page. At least I was able to enjoy the company of the parental unit...something else I needed today. All in all, it wasn't the most encouraging day but we are still blessed beyond what we deserve.

Oh, and one more thing. I have PROOF that God does have a sense of humor. Remember the Hobby Lobby lady? Well, imagine my surprise when not a week later, I too was trying to cough my lungs up. I finally bought some cough suppressent and it was like taking a shot of alcohol. But don't worry. I don't think I'll be adding it to my list of addictions.

So in conclusion comma today will not go down in the books as my most favorite day ever. Still, God has been faithful to remind me that I am blessed and a not so great day won't change that. Take that, Satan! And on that note I'm going to wrap this up. I hope you all know just how thankful I am for each one of you. You are one of those many blessings that I'm thankful for today!

Oh The Humiliation

I only have a few minutes to post before I pick up Austin from "the best idea EVER" otherwise known as Mother's Day Out. But even though I'm pressed for time I had to share with y'all what happend to me yesterday after church.

First of all, let me back up and tell you what the lesson in Sunday school was about. We discussed the story in the Bible where Jesus gets super angry with the Pharisees and their hypocracy. (not sure if I spelled that right but I don't have time to check...deal with it!) This led to discussions about times (embarrasing or not) in which we act differently in private than we would in public. This could be in your marriage, your friendships, your relationship with the Lord, etc. SO we were asked to share a time when we did something embarrasing when we thought no one else was watching. Y'all, I had such a hard time thinking about such a time and not because I'm a one upper. I just seem to do embarrasing things when large crowds of people are present because I'm cool like that.

And this brings me to the point of my story. After we picked Austin up from childcare we headed out to our car. Luke was holding Austin and I was rubbing his little hand. All of the sudden my ankle turned while walking down a little slope and I took a major tumble! I still had a hold of Austin's hand and was trying to use it to regain my balance. This was, in fact, one of my best ideas ever...or not. I'm just really glad that the whole 11:00 congregation got to see the big fall of '09 including Claire's best friend and her family.

So, you see, my embarrasing moments don't happen when I'm alone. They happen when there are as many people present as possible. And in conclusion, I would just like to thank my Lord and Savior for keeping me humble and making sure there are plenty of people around to witness it. I wonder if Jesus ever had embarrasing moments. You know, since He was human and experienced everything we do.

Ok, I gotta run! And I have no time to proof read. I'm livin' on the edge, people! Livin' on the edge.

The Zoo & Other Happenings

Despite the fact that every citizen of San Antonio was at the zoo last weekend, it was a success. I haven't been there is SOO long. Austin was mesmerized at the beginning and then he quickly expressed his excitement by saying,

Wow!! Woooow!

I think his favorite thing was the fish tanks, especially since they were right on his level. We had a blast watching him take it all in. We finished the trip by taking him to the petting zoo. And by petting zoo, I mean a great big area with goats. He still had a good time. Here are some pictures from the day:

Austin was not thrilled about the family picture at the end. This is the best we got. Thanks, Austin!

Petting the goat. I just love these 2 and Luke was such a great dad...walking him around to pet as many goats as possible.

The fish.

Looking at the grizzly bear. He had some serious claws, y'all.

The close up of his face while watching the bear.

Oh yeah. While we were watching the bear, a couple of super smart kids were banging on the fence in an effort to get the bear to come closer. Apparently they have not seen all the news stories about harassed animals that decided to do something about the annoying visitors. It would also seem that they had a death wish. However, we did not so after a little look we headed off to see the monkeys. Stay smart, kids. Stay smart!

The next couple of pictures were taken last week. Before you go any further, I need to tell you about the book my mom got Austin for Christmas. It's a GINORMOUS book that says I love you, Grandma. She saw it long before the Christmas season began and because she likes to be a one upper sometimes she bought it for him. All kidding aside, it is HILARIOUS to see little A carrying this book around. I should also admit that if I were a grandma I would have bought this book as well. So here they are in all their huge book glory:

And here are just a couple a cute pictures I took of our little man this week. He is very attached to his stuffed animals these days and loves to give them hugs. It is precious!

Love his face in the last one. I apologize that these are not the best pictures I've ever taken. Taking his picture is like trying to wrestle a greased pig sometimes.

And now I must go because Austin has decided that he needs my FULL and undivided attention. Have a great Sunday!

A Little Thing We Like To Call Crack Burgers and Other Addictions

I have a confession. I stayed in my pajamas ALL day yesterday. In fact, at about 5:30 I decided that it might be nice for Luke to come home to a wife in regular clothes. PLUS, my parents were bringing dinner over and I also thought it would be nice to look presentable. You know, since my house did not!

To my utter delight, they brought Freddy's burgers. Oh how we love Freddy's! Let me tell you why. Not long after Luke and I moved back to San Antonio, we decided to try this place that my family spoke so highly of. Big Mistake. We found ourselves eating their burgers more than we'd like to admit. And when we received a whole PAGE of coupons in the mail, you'd think we had just won the lottery. So addicted were we that we just left the page 'o coupons in my car because you just never know when you'll need a little pick me up in the form of a Freddy's burger. It's pretty safe to say that we were hooked. How could we not be?! Luckily, thanks to Luke, we figured out why we are so addicted. Are you ready for the reason?

These burgers are laced with cocaine, y'all.

I'm serious. They have to be otherwise we wouldn't feel like we needed at least ONE to make it through the week! For this reason, we now call these little pieces of Heaven crack burgers. Because that's exactly what they are. And they're addiciting. Not to mention, the perfect reward for forcing yourself to change out of your pajamas at the end of the day.

And while we're on the topic of addictions, let's talk about a few others I've developed over the last week and a half.

1) The Neti Pot (or as Luke calls it~ the Sinu Cleanse): I know. I said that I would never try it again since it had failed miserably to change my life. But friends, everyone deserves a second chance. This thing is amazing! So amazing, in fact, that we have used all the "salt" packets that came with it. If I make it to the store today I plan to pick up some refills so that the cleansing may continue. Like a family friend once said,

Flush us out, Lord. Just flush us out.

And He did. Hallelujah and Amen.

2) Kleenex: I'm not addicted to just any 'ol facial tissue. It has to be Puffs PLUS lotion. Everything else is just glorified sandpaper. And my nose would know at this point.

3) Books: I've always been a big reader but lately I've been out of control! In the last week I've read a total of four books. FOUR, people! Normally this wouldn't be that amazing, but the fact that I'm a MOM and a WIFE with responsibilities like, oh say, washing shirts for Luke to wear to work means that I probably should not have the extra time to read FOUR books in a week. And please don't say anything about the run-on sentence. Since I'm running out of money to support my habit, not to mention that my house looks like the plains of Oklahoma after a tornado has blown through, I've decided to ground myself from reading until I'm all caught up. Or until my order from Amazon is delivered. Whichever comes first.

Don't worry. I don't think I need a 12 step program or anything. I'm pretty sure these addictions are linked to the fact that I'm on the tail end of a chest cold, and therefore, have very little energy to do anything but cleanse and read.

Hope you all are having a fantastic week. I'll be posting some pictures from our weekend with the grandparents because I know you are waiting with baited breath to see how our trip to the zoo went. Until then, have a great Thursday!